Oak Ridge Today

Education Foundation names new director

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Jessica Steed

Jessica Steed

Jessica Steed was recently named executive director of the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation.

The Foundation’s board of directors chose Steed to replace Jenna Whitney, who resigned after her husband Mark, who was the manager of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management for the U.S. Department of Energy, accepted a new job with DOE in Washington, D.C.

Steed, a certified public accountant since 2001, worked for more than six years in public accounting as an auditor and tax accountant before becoming a full-time parent and community volunteer for the last nine years.

Since Steed moved to Oak Ridge four years ago, she has served as a classroom volunteer, as treasurer for both Woodland Elementary and Jefferson Middle School PTOs, and as an active member of the PTO Council. The Foundation’s selection committee noted that Steed comes to the position with a strong financial and accounting background and with knowledge of issues that affect the Oak Ridge school system.

“Although I have thoroughly enjoyed volunteering in the school system, I am ready to move into a position that allows me to help support not only my own children’s schools, but the whole school system I have grown to appreciate,” Steed said in a press release. “My experience in public accounting and volunteer work in the schools will serve as a great foundation as I strive to support the mission of the ORPSEF.” [Read more…]

Video: Mayor, school officials accept ice bucket challenge

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Jefferson Middle School

Jefferson Middle School

Oak Ridge municipal and school officials accepted the ALS ice bucket challenge after cross country practice at Jefferson Middle School on Friday.

Those who accepted the challenge included Cross Country Coach Steve Reddick, Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan, Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers, Assistant Superintendent Chris Marczak, JMS Principal Phil Cox, Vice Principal Mike Haygood, and Oak Ridge Schools teachers John Smith, Jacqueline Whitaker, Chris Layton, and Scott Linn.

The ice buckets were administered by “several lucky team members” of the cross country squad, the JMS PTO said.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (known as ALS and Lou Gehrig’s Disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. For more information, please see the ALS Association website.

Here is a video by Heather Hartman, JMS PTO president: [Read more…]

Mayor, superintendent, others participating in JMS ice bucket challenge

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Thom Mason Ice Bucket Challenge

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on Wednesday afternoon. He then challenged Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Director Paul Alivisatos, and Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Charlie McMillan to do the same. Afterward, Mason said the experience was “bracing.” (Photos by Carlos Jones)

 

ORNL Director Mason took the challenge Wednesday

Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan and Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers are participating in an ice bucket challenge at Jefferson Middle School on Friday.

Members of the JMS cross country team will administer the ice buckets.

“You are no doubt aware of the social media-fed phenomenon sweeping the nation in the past couple of weeks: the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge,” coach and JMS teacher Steve Reddick said. “As of today, the challenge has raised $41 million. Many of us have received challenges from friends and foes alike, and we’ve decided to stage a Mega-Ice Bucket Challenge at 4:15 p.m. after cross country practice tomorrow (Friday).” [Read more…]

New elementary, middle school students register next week

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With the exception of students at Willow Brook and the Preschool, all students who are new to Oak Ridge elementary and middle schools need to register at their schools from 9 a.m. to noon Monday, July 28, to Wednesday, July 30, a press release said.

Parents who pre-registered kindergartners in May also need to complete the registration process on those dates.

Registration for new students in grades 9-12 will be made by appointment only. For more information regarding high school registration, contact the registrar at (865) 425-9524.

The information necessary for new student registration includes the following: [Read more…]

Commission candidate Mansfield to have two meet-and-greets this weekend

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Myra Mansfield

Myra Mansfield

Myra Mansfield, a candidate for Anderson County Commission, will host two meet-and-greets this weekend. Mansfield is a candidate for Anderson County Commission in the Eighth District, which serves the communities assigned to vote at Jefferson Middle School, Emory Valley Center, and Woodland Elementary.

On Friday evening, Mansfield will be available to meet the public from 4–6 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Corporate Center at 151 Lafayette Drive. A short program will be featured at 5:15 p.m. Please enter the Oak Ridge Corporate Center from Lafayette Drive between Emory Valley Road and Laboratory Road, a press release said.

On Saturday morning, Mansfield will be available to meet the public from 10 a.m.–noon at her canopy in the parking lot at 699 Emory Valley Road, which is the old Paragon Health Club next to the Food Lion building. [Read more…]

In final vote, City Council again rejects tax increase for schools

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Oak Ridge City Council Budget Meeting

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday again said “no” to a property tax rate increase to give more money to Oak Ridge Schools. Council is pictured above during a June 9 budget meeting.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:15 a.m. June 17.

Two last-minute attempts to pass smaller-than-requested tax increases for the Oak Ridge Schools failed on Monday, and the City Council voted 4-2 to approve a budget that does not raise taxes in the fiscal year that starts July 1.

The decision to not raise taxes for the seventh year in a row came after a parade of residents in two meetings this month asked Council to fully fund the schools. Many said they moved here because of the schools, and they said the educational system is Oak Ridge’s primary asset. School teachers, administrators, and school board members also said they support a greater investment in the schools.

“Flatline budgets will eventually produce flatline results,” said Steve Reddick, an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Jefferson Middle School and co-president of the Oak Ridge Education Association.

The schools had requested $17.9 million from the city, but the no-tax-increase budget lowered that amount to $14.6 million. School officials had previously said they will have to “go back to the drawing board” and make cuts if Council did not approve the tax rate increase. It’s not clear yet what cuts might be made. The Oak Ridge Board of Education could discuss changes to the school system’s budget, which was approved in May, during a Monday evening meeting.

[Read more…]

Spotlight: Karry on 4 Kids has new logo

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Karry on 4 Kids

James Dodson, Jefferson Middle School art teacher, left; Sheila Marczak; Jessica Ammendolia; and Naomi Asher, CASA executive director. (Submitted photo)

 

The Child Advocacy Center of Anderson County, CASA, and private therapist Sheila Marczak have teamed together in an effort to address a special need: Each year, more than 400 children in Anderson County are removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect. Many of these children do not have luggage (a carry-on or duffle bag), and they must carry their belongings in a garbage bag. This is humiliating to a child at a time when they are already so vulnerable.

The goal of Karry on 4 Kids is to provide each child in shelter and foster care with a brand new carry-on (duffle bag, etc.), so that they will never have to move from one location to another with their personal items in trash bags. These bags will be collected and stored at the Child Advocacy Center in Clinton to be distributed as necessary.

Recently, art contributions were requested from students at Jefferson Middle School for a logo. The winning student was eighth-grader Jessica Ammendolia.

An effort has been made with Oak Ridge and Anderson County schools to create an initial supply of bags. However, bags will be collected as an ongoing effort. Through the summertime, bags can be brought to Girls Inc., one of the CASA offices, or the CAC office.

Please email questions and concerns to KarryOn4Kids@gmail.com.

JMS teams No. 1 in sixth, seventh grade at ORAU middle school math competition

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ORAU Jefferson Middle School Math Competition

Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge won best overall score and was recognized for being the top school in the seventh-grade level at the Tennessee Middle School Math Competition recently held at Pellissippi State Community College. Pictured from left to right are Dean Evasius, ORAU vice president and director of Science Education Programs, and JMS teacher Rosa Falkner, Bill Andress, Ethan Brady, Steven Qu, Henry Shen, Kenny Moon, and Eagle Yuan. (Photo courtesy ORAU)

 

KNOXVILLE—More than 600 students from 40 area schools competed for the honor of being named the top middle school math students in East Tennessee. The 2014 Tennessee Middle School Math Competition, now in its 14th year, was held recently at Pellissippi State Community College and was sponsored by ORAU.

Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge walked away with the No. 1 team ranking for the best overall score in both the sixth- and seventh-grade team categories. Farragut Middle School in Knoxville took the No. 1 team ranking for the eighth-grade team category.

The first-place individual winners for top overall scores were all from Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge and included Yikun Zhang, sixth grade; William Andress, seventh grade; and Joseph Andress, eighth grade. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools seeks to become top STEM district in country

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Bruce Borchers Introduces Discovery Education

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers introduces Discovery Education to members of the PTA Council on Thursday, April 10. (Photos by Sara Wise)

Superintendent: ‘It’s a big deal nationally’

Oak Ridge Schools is attempting to become the premier district in the nation for science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, education. Superintendent Bruce Borchers has a $3.4 million plan to make that happen using Microsoft Surface tablets and Discovery Education. The money will be spent over a five-year period.

Borchers calls the needed changes a “digital transformation” that will, he hopes, bring a tablet to every student in the school system. This is especially important in Oak Ridge, a district with a free and reduced lunch rate of more than 50 percent. The digital transformation would allow every student in the district to have the same educational opportunities, regardless of income.

The first of three steps toward transformation is to create a technological infrastructure capable of handling all the tablets. Those improvements have a $1 million price tag that the Oak Ridge Board of Education and the city have already approved. Borchers hopes for the upgrades to be completed before students return to school in the fall. The upgrades are projected to last until at least 2022. [Read more…]

Several hundred compete in Ben Martin Middle School track meet

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Ben Martin Invitational

Several hundred students from five regional middle schools, including Jefferson and Robertsville, competed in the Ben Martin Middle School Invitational track meet in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

Several hundred students from five middle schools competed in the first-ever Ben Martin Middle School Invitational track meet in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

The meet was named after Ben Martin, a legendary Sports Hall of Fame coach who won seven state championships as track coach at Oak Ridge High School. Thursday’s meet was at Ben Martin Track at the high school.

Martin was the first ORHS track and football coach, and he won championships in both sports and began the entire athletic program at the high school, ORHS Cross Country Coach Allen Etheridge said.

“I talked with longtime Oak Ridge coach Winston Russell today, who told me that he remembered coach Martin as the guy who was always there, the guy who would coach anyone at any time,” Etheridge said Monday. “(Martin) was an assistant football coach and was head basketball coach.”

Athletes from Cherokee, Jefferson, Karns, Rhea County, and Robertsville middle schools competed in Thursday’s meet, which included events ranging from relays and hurdles to long jumps and high jumps. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools selects Teacher Leaders

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The Oak Ridge School system has announced its selections for Teacher Leaders for the 2014-15 school year.

The Teacher Leader initiative was conceived and launched as a result of the Tennessee Department of Education’s push to create a differentiated pay scale for teachers in all counties. The department encouraged systems to either adopt a structure where teachers receive pay bonuses based on student test scores and eliminate increases in pay for advanced degrees or years of service, or adopt programs that ask teachers to take on greater responsibilities in schools.

“When presented with the opportunity to reward teachers for their dedicated and outstanding service, we decided not to get rid of our steps and lanes that reward teachers for their time and dedication to the classroom and earning advanced degrees, but rather recognize teachers that step up and take on greater leadership roles around STEM, analyzing data, and reinforcing professional learning communities,” said Bruce Borchers, Oak Ridge Schools superintendent. [Read more…]

Rock to Bach Music Festival on March 1 at New Hope Center

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Classic Beatles and Rock to Bach Music Festival

Fifty years ago, the Beatles, the pop and rock group from England, arrived in America to perform before screaming fans. Now, one of them, Paul McCartney, composes classical music.

Imagine the Beatles walking one way as they pass Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Haydn walking in the opposite direction.

That’s the mental image you might have if you attend Oak Ridge’s fourth Rock to Bach Music Festival on Saturday, Mar. 1.

The annual festival has a new venue this year. It will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the New Hope Center of the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]